Lieia left the Canterlot castle in high spirits, taking a pegasi-drawn chariot back to Ponyville, since Arcelia had already departed with the rest of Reaver squad. After talking to the princesses for another hour, she chose to bid her farewells. She hummed quietly to herself as the chariot set down outside Carousel Boutique. Strangely, enough, the lights still were on inside. She knocked on the door once, and waited until a slightly dishevelled Rarity appeared.

“Oh! Hello, Lieia! What can I do for you?”

“I left my clothes upstairs when I got changed in this dress. Again, I really appreciate what you did.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. I’ll go and get your clothes right away. Just wait here.” She cantered back inside, and Lieia could hear her hooves as she ascended the stairs and returned moments later, carrying her clothes.

“Much obliged.”

“Oh, it was no problem at all! Well, good night, then!” As the door closed, she caught sight of something that stood out like a sore thumb in the boutique.

Applejack’s hat.

That’s odd. Oh, well. Doesn’t concern me.

“Night, Rare!”

Next day brought much-needed changes to the normal routine of Lieia’s life. A large host of Diamond Dogs was spotted approaching, all of them heavily armed, quite a few of them carried what seemed to be antique flintlock rifles. Of course, Celestia roused the Royal Guard, bringing them to full mobilisation.

“So, how many are there?” Lieia asked, eager to get in a fight.

“At least two hundred, possibly more.” Celestia looked at her doubtfully. “They have weapons, rifles for most part.”

“Don’t worry. I can have Arcelia strafe them long before they reach Ponyville. Should whittle down their strength nicely. Then I can send the twins in with the Jackal; keep up a harrying action, while I assault them with the rest of my team.”

“No.”

“No?” She wasn’t quite sure she’d heard that correctly.

“You heard me. I’ll meet the leader of their group and find a non-violent compromise.” Lieia threw her arms up in frustration.

“Fine. But don’t come to me complaining when those shitheads are tearing Ponyville a new one.” She stalked off, muttering quietly, while Celestia shook her head at the human’s behaviour. Did she not understand how Celestia toiled to keep her lands peaceful? The relations with the Diamond Dogs were often precarious at best. She dispatched another two squads of guards to keep watch for the Dogs’ arrival.

Alsivra crawled on her stomach, with Wrimali in her tow. They were careful to make themselves scarce, since they were uncomfortably close to the Dogs. Wrimali tapped her earpiece.

“We’re in position, Captain. We see three hundred and seventy-nine enemy footmobiles. We can smell their dirty hides from here.”

“Do not engage them, repeat, do not engage them. Keep observing them; see if you can find a leader or any weaknesses.”

“Understood, Captain. They’ll never see us until it’s too late.” Lieia look up to Briggs and the rest of her squad, who looked at her expectantly.

“You’re the hitters, alright? If things go down badly, I need Driscoll and Salwir on distraction duty. Don’t let the Dogs get organised. Marrin, Xrengri, keep watch over Dunbar. Briggs, you’re with me.”

“What for?”

“You’ll be an EXO for the day. We got the Seven-Ten and my first-gen EXO suit. We’ll use them both.”

“It’s an honour, ma’am.”

“Let’s get you suited up. Once ready, take some time to acquaint yourself with it.”

Lieia was sitting on a cart when it happened. She wasn’t in her Seven-Ten, though, but it was close enough should need arise.

Celestia swallowed nervously. She saw one of the dogs approach her and she cleared her throat.

“Welcome to Ponyville. I am Princess Celestia. I-”

“Shut it, you dumb horse! Ya killed my boys! You’ll pay for it!” Before she could move, he had pulled out his flintlock and shot her in chest.

“Oh, shit! Wrimali, you and Alsivra are weapons free! Driscoll, Salwir, Briggs, you are go! Dunbar, over here! We got a casualty!” She leapt up, but was forced back in cover by the volume of fire coming her way.

“Briggs, gather up some of those pony guards! I need covering fire!” She snapped off a couple of shots, but didn’t dare pop her head up.

“Cap! We’re almost there!” She heard Dunbar’s panting in her ear.

“Give me covering fire! Same goes for Marrin and Xrengri!”

“Roger that, Captain! On three! One, two, three… SUPPRESING!” Lieia heard a roar of gunfire and she leapt over the cart, running full-pelt towards Celestia’s unconscious form. The dog that shot her was still there, snapping off shots towards the Coalition and Empire troops. She wasted no time to put her wrist blade through his neck and crushing his skull. Other dogs were howling angrily, but she paid them no heed, even as bullets whizzed past her. She looked at the messy wound and grimaced. She looped her arms under Celestia, grunting with effort as she picked up the not inconsiderable bulk of the full-grown mare, but she didn’t stop. She kept going on even as bullets struck her in the back, and she gritted her teeth, even though the underpowered slugs failed to tear through her armoured skeleton and corded muscles. They still hurt as hell. She let Dunbar fuss over her, however, pulling the lead pieces out and patching the wounds up, and she returned to battle in the Seven-Ten, tearing into the Diamond Dogs with savage abandon, leaving none alive to tell the tale.

Celestia woke up in a bed. For a moment, she was confused, but then she remembered what happened. She glanced around quickly. She was in a hospital bed, no less. Her chest hurt something fierce, and no mistake. Her mouth was awfully parched.

“So, what’s up with you and getting shot all the time?” She turned her head quickly, but became woozy.

“Whoa, easy there. Take it slow.” Her sight cleared again and she saw Lieia sitting in a chair besides the bed. Her face was unreadable.

“I told you they’d make trouble.”

“Mmhhmhhh…” She couldn’t part her dry lips.

“Hang on. I’ll get you some water.” She picked up a jug and a glass, pouring it full of water and placing it against Celestia’s lips. The wounded mare drank it eagerly, and sighed once it was empty.

“Thank you. I really needed that.” Lieia gave her a lopsided grin.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Her face turned more serious now. “I told you that would happen. Why didn’t you listen to me? We could have wiped the ground with them. Diplomacy ain’t gonna always work, Celestia, however hard you try.” Her features softened up, taking on an expression of concern.

“Celestia? Don’t you go dying on me now.”

“I… don’t… intend to. Could I get some more water, please?”

“You have but to ask.” She poured the glass full again and let Celestia drink it. She could hardly see the resemblance to the brash, headstrong human in the Lieia she looked at now.

“I should probably get out of your hair. You need to have a long rest. See you later.” Lieia stood up and walked towards the door.

Celestia felt a wave of panic overtake her. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, willing her voice to work, but to no avail. Finally, just as Lieia was closing the doors behind her, she found her voice.

“Lieia!” It came out a bit more desperate than she wanted to, but it worked nevertheless. Lieia poked her head back inside, and Celestia was once more caught off-guard by the concerned expression Lieia wore.

“Yes?”

“Don’t leave. Just… yet. Please. I hate… to be… alone.” She looked at Lieia pleadingly, who was seemingly entranced by the magenta eyes.

“Uh… Okay.” She came back inside, taking the seat besides the bed occupied by Celestia, who sighed with relief. Lieia eyed her strangely for a moment, but said nothing, reclining in the chair. Celestia felt strangely peaceful, now that Lieia was at her side again. She felt her eyelids flutter and she saw that roguish smile of Lieia’s before she fell asleep.

This was quite a dream she was having. She wandered through the shallow snow, searching for something that she knew not of. She felt now that she was ascending a small hill and continued upwards, the gentle snowfall continuing around her. Her heart was restless, she was sure of it. But for what did she yearn? She kept walking, eventually coming across a moonflower.

A moonflower? I thought these were long extinct!

Confused, she pressed onwards, finding more of the moonflowers scattered around, somehow flourishing in the cold. She now was certain she could see somepony ahead, amidst the moonflowers. She started walking faster, feeling her heart urge her on. She was a couple of meters away when the snow abruptly cleared and she could now see the figure clearly.

Lieia was smiling at her warmly, spreading her arms to embrace her, and she heard the human’s quiet voice.

“Among the moonflowers' gentle glow,

your dearest dreams you'll come to know.”

Everything went pitch black and she woke up back in the hospital. She looked around her, and sighed wistfully upon seeing that the chair was empty.

I love Lieia. I love her and I’m completely smitten by her. I suppose I’ll have to tell her. Best do it soon, before I go crazy.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her fluttering heart, when the doors to her room burst open and an overjoyed Lieia ran in.

“We got a signal! A Coalition recon fleet just jumped in. They’re saying reinforcements will be here in three days, maybe less.” Celestia sat up straighter, both at the news and seeing Lieia.

“Oh? They are?”

“Yeah! They’re sending representatives, too!”

“That’s good new, I presume?”

“Of course! We can establish a new supply route and fortify it against Vasari! I’ll be able to get back to my buddies back at Marine Corps! That is, I would if it wasn’t the firing squad for me.”

The thought of Lieia being executed now chilled Celestia to the core. She stirred in the bed uneasily.

“I already said, I’ll talk to your leaders. I’ll have the sentence rescinded.” Lieia looked at her weirdly.

“Why are you so worried about it? I appreciate that you’d do that on my behalf, but now, you’re worrying me. What’s got you so unsettled?” Celestia dearly wished to confess her love to Lieia, but was frozen at the same time by fear of rejection.

“I… That is, I mean… Well…” She stammered, tripping over her own words, while Lieia looked at her quizzically.

“Don’t worry yourself over it. We need to prepare for their arrival. I’m not really sure if they stand on ceremony, but we’ll make sure to be prepared either way. Get well, Celly. You got people to meet.” She left the room again, leaving Celestia to ponder on the moment.

Celly. She called me Celly. Could she have feelings for me as well?

Celestia was released from the hospital two days later, the doctor having declared her fit as a fiddle. She trotted around the Ponyville, taking in the decorations adorning the buildings. She spotted Twilight ticking off squares on a checklist, but she was looking for a particular woman, in fact. She was going to tell Lieia of her feelings. But she was proving an elusive target to find this day.

“…as soon as Celestia arrives, we’re pretty much set. So, any news on when can we expect our guests, Commander?” The man on screen shrugged.

“I’d say they might just arrive today. Empire techs gave us blueprints for advanced phase drives. 1st Liberation got the dibs on the refit, along with Battlegroup 71. They should be here in a couple of hours, give or take. We’ll keep watch, anyways.”

“Much obliged, Commander. Grisova out.” She cut the commlink and looked at Briggs.

“Let’s get this party started, Briggs. They’re going to be here soon. So. Do I really need to wear this?” she hefted tidy uniform.

“You can’t be caught looking like this, ma’am. We need you in that uniform. Come on. We’re also going to wear ‘em. Can’t have you be the odd one out.” Grumbling about stupid dress codes, Lieia slipped in the bunk room of Arcelia and emerged in her uniform, a scowl on her face.

“It’s too clean.”

“Cap, you could pass as a Navy officer in that.”

“Thanks, I guess.” A grey, black-maned mare cantered up to her and she smiled.

“Hey, Octavia. You got everyone ready? They know the tunes?” The mare nodded eagerly.

“I got the orchestra ready and eager. We just finished rehearsing again, and I’m proud to announce the orchestra ready!”

“Good work, Octavia. We’ll give them a greeting they’ll never forget.” She straightened out a bit, then left the dropship, heading for Ponyville, just as a certain alabaster mare bounded up to it.

“Have you seen Lieia, Rarity? Have you seen her anywhere?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t, Princess. You might want to try her camp.” She was slightly puzzled by Celestia’s somewhat erratic behaviour, but paid it no mind, as Celestia cantered away.

“So, Twilight, everything’s ready?” The mare in question nodded brightly at Lieia.

“Ready as we’ll ever be. Now, we wait for them to arrive, right?” Lieia knelt down to ruffle Twilight’s mane.

“That’s right. I guess you’ll like the databases aboard the flagship.” Twilight perked up at that.

“Databases? I think I like how that sounds.”

“Millions of realbooks on Coalition and our allies, no ship should set out without a Coalition Codex.”

“Oh, I love books! I wish I could manipulate time, I really do!”

“Patience is a virtue, my purple friend. When they arrive, I think you’ll agree that the wait was worth it.”

“My coat’s not purple, Lieia, it’s lavender.”

“Okay, okay. I was jus’ kiddin’.”

Celestia felt a surge of panic flood her when she couldn’t find Lieia. She came to a stop when she noticed a flash of gold. Her heart felt a ton lighter as she saw Lieia walk up the street. She felt especially taken by Lieia’s crisp uniform, neat and tidy ponytail, but her eyes took the prize. They glittered like flawless sapphires as Lieia saluted her crisply.

“Hey, Princess. Everything’s set and ready. Everyone’s waiting for the fleet to arrive, but I guess they’ll be here soon enough.” Celestia nodded slowly.

“Lieia? I need to talk to you. In private.” Concern flashed briefly across Lieia’s face, but she nodded nonetheless and they slipped in a side alley.

“So, what is it? Something wrong?”

“Well… I just… Oh, damn it, I can’t even…” Celestia decided to damn words to Tartarus and was just about to lean in and kiss those full, inviting lips when the skies were filled with a series of rapid flashes and she looked upwards distractedly.

“They’re here, aren’t they?”

A/N: I admit I borrowed the 'Moonflowers' idea. I hope everyone can forgive me for that. Next Chapter: Chapter 11 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 21 Minutes